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O’Neill Regional Park offers camping facilities for park users. The camp sites are close to Live Oak Canyon Road and are popular throughout the spring and summer months. The campground is family friendly. Lots of kids are riding their bikes, skating, and running around the campground. In short, the campground would be great for people with young kids, families, or someone trying to get outside. I do not recommend the campground for those looking for solitude.

The Live Oak – Vista – Hoffman Homestead – Coyote Loop (loop) follows three trails in the O’Neill Regional park. The short hike has great views of Orange County, Trabuco Canyon, and the Saddleback Mountains.

The Quick and Dirty:
Location: O’neill Regional ParkDistance: Approximately 3.5 milesDifficulty: ModerateDuration: 1.5 hoursDogs Allowed? No, dogs are only allowed on the paved trails and campgrounds in O’Neil Park

O’Neill Regional Park is situated in Orange County, California, it is about an hour south of Los Angeles in the heart of Orange County. It is bordered by Trabuco Canyon, Whitings Ranch, Cleveland National Forest, and the City of Rancho Santa Margarita, making it easily accessible. The park offers camping, hiking, mountain biking, equestrian trails, day use facilities, and connects to the trails running running south west towards the beaches.

O’Neill park is run by OC Parks and they limit the type of use of each trail. Some trails will allow a combination of hikers, equestrians, dogs, and mountain bikers. Single tracts are typically limited to hikers and equestrians. Dogs are only allowed in camping facilities and the Mesa Trail (paved). Since L is spending 3 months at home with Baby S (thank you California Paid Family Leave), we have been frequenting the park a lot due to the proximity to our home. Below are some of the trails we’ve explored:

Location: Thomas F. Riley wilderness park or more commonly known as Riley Wilderness Park is one of the OCParks in Orange County, California. It is located on 30952 Oso Parkway, Coto De Caza, CA. Distance: We ran about 4 miles to the Skank Vista Point, down through Oak Canyon and looped around the Pheasant Run (this is the outer loop of the preserve). Difficulty: Easy hike and trail run, lots of good rolling hills for a good workout but nothing too strenuous. Duration: It took us about 50 minutes to finish the 4 mile run with breaks in between.Dogs Allowed? No dogs are allowed inside the preserve but ironically equestrians are allowed to ride their horses on the trail. Best time to visit: The preserve is open year-round from 7AM to sunset.Trail Parking: Parking is $3 at the designated preserve parking lot. There was plenty of parking early in the morning when we started the run but the lot got pretty full by the time we left. If you visit OCParks often, annual passes are available for purchase at the ranger’s station. Continue reading →

Location: James Dilley Greenbelt Preserve is located north of Hwy 73 on Laguna Canyon Road inside Laguna Coast Wilderness park in Orange County, California. Use this Google Maplink for exact driving directions and use this link for the trail map.Distance: About 3.4 miles on the Lake, Edison and Ridge Top trail loop (this is the outer loop of the preserve) and additional 2 miles for the Canyon Trail to the Mariposa Trail loop (this is the inner loop of the preserve).Difficulty: Easy hike, moderate trail run, lots of good rolling hills for a good workout.Duration: It took us about 1 hour to finish the 5 mile run with a break at the top of the ridge line.Dogs Allowed? No dogs or mountain biking are allowed inside the preserve.Best time to visit: Year-round but spring during the wild flower season is a great time to see all the California native wildflowers blooming inside the preserve.Trail Parking: Parking is $3 at the designated preserve parking lot. There was plenty of parking early in the morning when we started the run but the lot got pretty full by the time we left.